


Urgent Apathy

by BeelzWrites



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Drama, Multi, Original Character(s), Soranort - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-26 14:58:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13860144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeelzWrites/pseuds/BeelzWrites
Summary: Master Xehanort's plan to ignite a Keyblade War is finally coming to fruition. But his plans are much more nefarious than anyone had imagined. And Maleficent isn't sitting quietly either, as she enacts her own secret schemes.Things would be difficult enough... But when the Heroes of Light begin to fracture from within, sometimes the only thing you can do is:Stop caring so much.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Slow(er) build up, cause I want to take time to establish some of these characters before diving into the true plot.
> 
> Your patience will be rewarded!

**Chapter 1**

**Keyblade Masters**

Sora didn’t even flinch as the sparks threatened to fly into his face. Kairi had landed gracefully - feet first - on the wall above him, and Lea’s Keyblade had a habit of igniting embers of Fire magic each time it struck something. Kairi guarded against the stroke, and now their two Keyblades ground against each other, the air between them crackling.

Sora didn’t blink.

Steadily, Kairi’s arms began to give, and her shoes skidded against the stone wall she was bracing against. As sweat beaded from her brow, she gritted her teeth and let her elbows buckle from underneath her Keyblade. The sudden drop caused Lea to stumble, carried by the force of his own momentum.

Lea’s Keyblade sunk into the rock like a hot knife into butter.

“Whoa! Whoops!” Lea swung his free arm to keep his center of balance, but now he was leaning forward into Sora’s face.

Nose to nose, Sora glared into Lea’s eyes; Lea stared back in utter shock at Sora’s unflappable stance. He’d not moved an inch the entire fight, and his eyes were hard. Lea, now completely ignoring Kairi, lost himself in searching Sora’s uncommonly cold eyes.

After a heartbeat, the staring contest ended when Sora’s stoic expression cracked into a mischievous grin.

“You’re getting distracted,” Sora quipped, his eyes gleaming brightly. Lea gasped, seeing Kairi in the reflection of Sora’s iris. Lea gasped in a breath of shock as he whirled around, but it was already much too late.

“ _Freeze!_ ” Kairi shouted, the spell flowing from her Heart’s power and into the tip of her Keyblade. Sped into unreal speeds by magic, the bespelled ice block that had formed there rocketed toward Lea.

Lea brought his own Keyblade up to defend himself against the incoming projectile. Time seemed to slow as his instincts picked up on the fact that the Blizzard spell was growing, gathering moisture and magic through the air, until it was a veritable boulder of ice tumbling toward him.

“Damn!” he cursed under his breath, dropping his guard and springing away into a dodge roll. When he flipped back onto his feet, he whined some more. “Spells like that shouldn’t be fair.”

The Blizzard spell didn’t stop, and now with Lea out of the way, Sora was directly in its path. Just as quickly as any of them, Sora summoned his Keyblade and surrounded himself in a wall of flames with magic of his own. The glacier evaporated before it even threatened to touch his skin.

“She’s incredible,” Riku mused to himself from the raised platform that he and Yen Sid were stationed. Master Yen Sid sat reservedly in his chair, observing with a stern visage, steepling his fingers in front of his nose. Riku had a chair as well, but he was actively pacing back and forth in front of it as the Exam raged on for even longer than either of the Masters had anticipated.

“Indeed,” Yen Sid replied, speaking up for the first time since the mock battle had begun. “She purposefully lured Lea into Sora, using him as a natural battle-hazard. And Lea fell for it just as expertly.”

“I don’t think we can call it just yet,” Riku chimed in. Both Yen Sid and Master Mickey had instructed Riku, the newest Keyblade Master, that he needed to speak up more, and that his opinions were valid.

Master Yen Sid did not rise to the challenge, only grunting in apparent approval.

“Alright then!” Lea growled out loud, his frustration at not being able to land a single hit on Kairi was showing. Lea’s Heart boiled as he called the magic, an orb of fire expanding above him. He channeled his power through his Keyblade, and it shook with the force. The Fire Spell grew and grew, until Lea himself started to get scared.

“C’mon, that’s way too much,” he hissed at his Keyblade, gripping it with both hands. It glowed with the Fire spell, trembling in his fingers. “Stop… fighting… me!”

Master Yen Sid leaned forward in his chair, and Riku caught the flash of excitement that flew across the old man’s face.

Lea continued to struggle, until at last the orb of fire magic began to deflate, reaching a more manageable size. “There!” Lea shouted with satisfaction. “Now! _Fira_!”

The orb exploded, and Lea recoiled from his own attack.

A hundred, smaller Fire spells burst from the popped orb like flies, each one honing in on Kairi. They didn’t move nearly as fast as Kairi’s Blizzard spell had flown across the arena, but Kairi still had run, vault, and roll to miss them. She ran in a wide circle, keeping Lea in the center - who had to turn on his heels awkwardly to keep Kairi in his field of vision.

Master Yen Sid looked at the display of magic from his pupil and sighed sorrowfully, the excitement passing through him like a disappointed ghost. “Now it is decided,” he said, closing his eyes, the finality of his statement resolving Riku’s decision as well. He’d seen it too, or at least he thought he had. Lea just… wasn’t ready.

Kairi, on the other hand…

She was a force of nature altogether different from anything Yen Sid had ever experienced. The Keyblade came naturally to her when she called it, and her proficiency in magic rivaled even that of Master Aqua, the lost sorceress who willingly fell into Realm of Darkness to be its inner Light. Only Master Mickey had seen her, and even then it was far too brief a meeting. She was still wandering the Darkness.

And on top of Kairi’s other traits, she was a Princess of Heart as well. Her Heart was pure Light, and it was a well of strength she could draw upon in ways the other Keyblade Wielders did not have access to.

Maybe Kairi was the savior they’d been waiting for.

Kairi skidded back and forth across the battlefield, fire raining down on her from all sides. At last, the hundred fire bombs became ten, and that was a much easier number to tackle. Kairi halted where she was, drawing the fire spells closer around her until she was surrounded.

“ _Thunder_!” Kairi called, pointing her Keyblade into the sky. The heavens responded immediately with lightning that cascaded down in incandescent yellow streaks.

One bolt of magic for each orb of fire; the last of Lea’s spell exploded upon impact, and the smoke hadn’t even cleared before Kairi was sprinting out from the ashes, her hair billowing heroically in the wind.

“Aw crap!” Lea wheezed, practically laughing with anxiety as what appeared to be certain death bounded towards him.

Kairi whooped loudly, slicing her Keyblade through the air, straining her core muscles to put as much force behind the swipe as she possibly could.

A line of pure energy sliced through Lea’s chest, and he could have sworn his Heart stopped beating for a solid three seconds. He staggered backward, looking over his shoulder at Kairi behind him as she held her pose in that final sword stroke. All at once, Lea was simply too tired to keep standing. He collapsed to his knees, then planted his face into the dust - nose first - and began snoring boisterously as Yen Sid’s Fainting Enchantment kicked in.

“Was that -?” Riku gawked.

“ _Zantetsuken_ ,” Master Yen Sid confirmed, nodding his head sagely and tugging at his beard.

Riku shook the disbelief from his head. “When did she…?”

“It would seem…” Yen Sid smirked, “She learned it just now.”

“Alright, Kairi! That’s the way!” Sora hollered from his spot against the wall, jumping up and down with pride for his childhood friend.

Kairi blushed, pushing her hair back into place. She allowed her Keyblade to disappear, and placed a healing hand onto Lea’s back. Steadily, Lea began to blink himself awake again.

Masters Riku and Yen Sid gathered the two contestants in front of the platform they stood on. “Firstly,” Yen Sid began, throwing his arms out, his blue wizard robe flowing around him. “Thanks are in order to Philoctetes for allowing us to use the Olympus Coliseum for our Mark of Mastery Exam.”

Everybody present clapped, and as if in response, an echoing roar of a cheer came up from the empty stands. Yen Sid had to continually speak over the raucous, invisible crowd, but he remained nonplussed; after all, Phil had told him that the Coliseum did that, explaining it was the ghosts at the border of that world’s Underworld clapping out of habit and instinct from when they used to be alive.

“And now,” Master Yen Sid continued. “As it has come to my attention that many of you find my speeches too verbose, I will say my peace and then yield the rest of my time to Master Riku.” Yen Sid gestured to the young, silver haired man as if everyone there didn’t already know who he was.

“This last series of tests were not of my design, as admittedly my last Exam’s complexity was not only unneccessary but also opened up doorways into the Darkness I had never anticipated. Our great foe, Master Xehanort, got the better of me in that exchange. My late friend and compatriot, Master Eraqus, preferred these types of Mastery Exams, expressly because they do not invite third parties into the equation.”

“Unfortunately, Sora was unable to pass the Knowledge portion of the Exam, and was thus - sadly - disqualified before exhibiting his quality in the Strength Exam.” Sora cast his face downwards, the shame weighing heavily on his mind.

“We were prepared to name all three of you Keyblade Masters today,” Riku spoke up, taking the reins of the speech from Yen Sid right on cue. “However, Master Yen Sid and I have decided that there is only one who will become a Master after these Exams. Kairi… congratulations, Master!”

Kairi’s face lit up, while Sora and Lea exclaimed happily for her. They took her arms and raised her up in the air, laughing for their friend.

“Master Kairi, this isn’t just a title or mantle or an honorific,” Riku continued over the din. Kairi listened closely, even as she was juggled in their air by her friends. “You are granted special privileges upon becoming a Master, which Yen Sid and I will explain to you shortly. Lea!”

Lea’s expression changed instantly. He caught Kairi once more, and set her on the ground, standing at taut attention.

“You exhibited strength of Heart, strength of Knowledge, and you have strength in your Keyblade…” Riku paused for emphasis. He turned his face to stone, knowing that Lea needed a hard expression in order to pay attention to what was being said to him. “But you don’t have trust… not in your Keyblade, and not in yourself.”

“We get it,” Riku continued, harshness creeping into his words. “You’re upset at the things your past-self has done, and you’re afraid we won’t ever be able to trust you.”

Lea sheepishly cast a glance toward Kairi, but she was purposefully not looking at him.

“But if we didn’t trust you, you wouldn’t be here. You need to learn to trust us. And to not hold yourself back, even if you’re afraid of hurting something you care about. Because at the end of the day, you can bottle up all of your strength and still cause your friends pain.”

Master Yen Sid nodded again, agreeing with body language.

“Sora… I feel sorry most of all for you, because this Mark of Mastery wasn’t designed with your strengths in mind. Of course you deserve to be a Master of the Keyblade. And Yen Sid, King Mickey, and I have discussed this at length. Our fight with Xehanort and his thirteen Darknesses is right on the horizon. Even though we can’t in good conscious name you Master here today, you should know that in our Hearts, we consider you a Master, no question.”

Sora smiled at Riku for this kind gesture, and some of the guilt lifted from his shoulders. But not all of it.

“Kairi, if you’d please join Master Yen Sid and I. The three of us are going to return to the Mysterious Tower, where Master Mickey is waiting for us. Once there, we’ll explain more to you in detail.” As the group parted ways, Riku and Yen Sid stayed behind on their platform. Phil the satyr ran back and forth, commanding lackeys to clean up the mess left in the wake of the Exam.

“Master Riku,” Yen Sid began, his voice grave. “I think I have an additional request for you that only you have the power to carry out.”

“What’s that, Master Yen Sid?”

“You have the power to turn into a Dream Eater and enter a person’s dreams. If you would, I’d like you to enter Sora’s dreams tonight. I’m afraid after his second failure at becoming a Master, his Heart will be once again open to the Nightmares. We can’t risk losing another Light to the Darkness.”

Riku lowered his eyes, furrowing his brow. “Can’t we just talk to him? Does it have to be a secret?”

Yen Sid sighed, shaking his head and folding his arms behind his back in a restful position. “I fear if we reveal to Sora that we doubt his conviction, it will only worsen our situation. Riku, I would never admit this to anyone but another Keyblade Master, but…”

Yen Sid looked away, past his bushy eyebrows and up into the stars in the night sky above him. “There is a strong chance… that Xehanort will win this War.”

With this statement heavy on his mind, Riku bowed curtly and silently before striding out of the Coliseum.

“Master Yen Sid!”

“Ah, Philoctetes, thank you again for your patronage.”

“It was nothing,” the chubby satyr scoffed, waving away the compliment. “But hey, I was thinking, if you’re just giving Keyblade away then I’d like to put my name in for the running. Listen to this: I could be the _Trash Goat_! The Heartless show up, and I step into the ring, see? And I start eating _GARBAGE_!”

Yen Sid rolled his eyes, and pinched the brim of his nose, thinking to himself:

_‘This is why I don’t leave my Tower.’_

**\-----**

 

“All attend! All attend!” The shout echoed through the polished streets of the city, the entire population of the Kingdom of Ostinato in the courtyard. “Here presiding! Your Prince Mezzo i Ostinato!”

The crowd erupted into a deafening applause, whoops of excitement and whistles carrying through the wind to the Prince’s ears. He blinked away tears, and flipped his light pink hair from out of his face. His official garments of state, comfortable but fashionable black, white, and gold ornate decoration; his chest was adorned with medals and chains of gleaming silver that showed off his lofty state.

Noise continued to fill the courtyard, and Mezzo lifted his hand several times to get his people to quiet down.

“Citizens of Ostinato, the state of our Kingdom is dire.”

This was enough to initiate an eerie silence. All at once, the only sound was the whispering wind billowing around Mezzo as he stood on the balcony, addressing his people.

“It’s only been a month since we lost our dear, departed Princess Schuberta i Ostinato… my elder sister. A Princess with a pure, kind soul, a warrior chosen by the legendary Keyblade, and a martyr who sacrificed her very life to protect us against the invading creatures. Today, we gather once again to raise our voices in dirge song for our Royal Sister.”

“Your Grace,” came a lucid, feminine voice. It hung in the air, heavy in the courtyard, as if amplified by some power. Mezzo looked around, angry that someone dare interrupt his Sister’s funeral rites. “What do you propose to do against the creatures that had a hand in the death of our Royal Sister?”

Stepping out from the crowd was a tall, tall woman. Her eyes were bristling with power, and she had black and purple gown trailing behind her. A long staff with a green stone atop it graced her non-dominant hand; and perched upon that emerald was a grizzled, beady-eyed raven. The woman’s equally green face split in a ruby red smile, the edges of her head were adorned by horns. She was so impressive and so frighteningly beautiful that the crowd parted for her wish gasps of astonishment.

Mezzo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had never seen such a woman in his kingdom before.

“Can you assure everyone here that the enchanted barrier she died to create will hold up against the Heartless that are every day growing in number?”

Mezzo swallowed dryly.

He extended his hand and concentrated.

Glimmers of Light shimmered around him light an aura, until they coelesed and condensed into a solid form: A Keyblade.

The crowd once again erupted into joyous guffaws! Hope rekindled in their Hearts, and the mysterious woman melted once more into the background, vanishing.

“My sister… bestowed this Keyblade onto me before she died. And with it! I will defend Ostinato!”

“Brave words,” the voice said again, later that evening when Mezzo was alone in his room.

The young man threw his head up from his desk in surprise. There was the woman from that afternoon, somehow having made it past all of his Royal Guards.

“For such a burden,” she continued, her words echoing powerfully through the room, though she never raised her voice. “Not even I would ask for such a responsibility.”

That sentence cut Mezzo to the quick. He shivered, the tears threatening to flow all over again. “It is such an awful burden, Your Radiance,” he whimpered, rubbing his eyes. “I was never supposed to be a Prince. Or a Keyblade Wielder. My sister was the strong one. Schuberta would have… known what to do next….”

“Such a polite, tender, young boy,” the woman clicked her tongue suspiciously.

Mezzo stood and bowed low to the mysterious intruder. While bent at the waist, he explained. “I can sense your power, even though you try to hide it. You are a Fey, are you not, Your Radiance? The Magic Folk always have a place in Ostinato.”

“And yet the barrier that surrounds the city keeps out not only the Heartless, but also those Magic Folk looking for shelter.”

Mezzo straightened his back. “Nothing is perfect, My Lady. May I ask?” The woman nodded slightly. “Are you from another world? You seem to know these… Heartless already.”

“My name is Maleficent. And I am a Seeker of Darkness.”

Mezzo gritted his teeth in worry.

“I travel the worlds with my power, chasing the Heartless as they attack and devour the worlds. One by one.”

“How do they do this!” Mezzo cried out, jumping from his seat.

“The Heartless seek out Hearts because they have none of their own,” Maleficent explained. “And each World has a Heart. Once that Heart is stolen by the Heartless, the World and all it inhabitants vanish into Darkness.”

“That’s terrible,” Mezzo growled under his breath, feeling the anger bubbling up within him.

“The Heart of a World is hidden behind a Keyhole, that can only be locked with… a Keyblade.”

Mezzo’s face lit up for a moment, a smile finding its way onto his lips. “Then there’s hope!”

Maleficent sighed, turning away, her heels and staff clicking as she positioned herself to look out the window. From this point, she could see the entire, glorious city of Ostinato. And the milky white dome that covered it. The Heartless were blinded by its Light, and couldn’t form corridors of Darkness through it to invade the city.

“The Keyhole does not reveal itself to just anybody. It will only respond to a Master Keyblader. If only… Princess Schuberta were still alive.”

“My sister?” Mezzo asked.

“You see, I have reason to believe your sister was a Princess of Heart,” Maleficent said, glancing over her shoulder. “Hearts of Pure Light, incorruptible, untouchable to the Darkness. Even after a World perishes, their Princess of Light endures through sheer force of will. And, Princess Schuberta was a Keyblade Wielder on top of everything else. She would have been a powerful ally.”

Mezzo, downcast and gloomy, sniffed and wiped his eyes with his ornate sleeve. At long last, he found the gumption to speak up.

“Why can’t… why can’t there be a Prince of Heart?”

Maleficent, her back to Mezzo, smiled down onto the city of Ostinato, baring her teeth at the citizens below. When she turned around, her smile was significantly more genial.

“A just question, My Liege. A very, very just question.”

**\-----**

[BEELZ](https://www.patreon.com/BeelzFunds)

 


	2. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo hoo hoo
> 
> haa haa haa
> 
> hee hee hee
> 
> you all still sleepin' on Maleficent? friend, she's already behind you

[ **Chapter 2** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9VDvMUNBhA&list=PLPaN6Wrl_xE09LFKm7Bwm1qeOZ-Kmgyz3&index=27)

[ **Nightmares** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9VDvMUNBhA&list=PLPaN6Wrl_xE09LFKm7Bwm1qeOZ-Kmgyz3&index=27)

_The Kingdom of Ostinato had stood for centuries. It was founded by the first Ostinato Family upon the rubble of a city thousands of years dead. The foundations in that ruin became the keystones upon which its towering citadel was built. Spellcasters and Summoners, the Ostinato Family weaved magic into the very brick and mortar of the castle, and it was decreed to never fall so long as a Ostinato stood within its enchanted lay lines._

_And so the Kingdom of Ostinato stood; a beacon of defiance in a dark world of strife. Other empires rose and fell like the ebb of a tide. But Ostinato was the moon, watching over the chaotic flow with indifference. Unconquerable, impregnable, no force in the world was its subjugator._

_Then… forces from another world appeared._

_“Sister,” Mezzo had pleaded for the hundredth time. He even knelt before her, something the siblings never did unless they spoke from their Heart. As his knees dug into the hard marble floor, the tears he could no longer hold back splattered against that cold stone._

_“The messengers have returned from the Empire of Stanza…” Mezzo hiccuped through the sobs._

_“I take it our fears are confirmed,” Princess Schuberta lamented, pulling her brother close into a firm embrace. “Stanza will not send us aid against these creatures of shadow. They fight their own battles and cannot afford to lose a single warrior.”_

_Mezzo shook his head. “Stanza will not send aid,” he began, rubbing the snot from his nose, “because the Empire of Stanza is no more. The messenger reported… the entire town ablaze! It was crawling with those… things! There was no one left alive. They barely made it back to Ostinato!”_

_Schuberta stood, her dazed expression betraying her hidden fears to Mezzo, who looked on in his own amazement._

_“Then we are alone,” she whispered to herself, her shoulders drooping._

_“Schuberta, you have to join us on the front lines! You have the Keyblade! The only weapon we have known for certain to kill those monsters!” Mezzo searched Schuberta’s eyes, desperate for her to understand._

_“Mezzo,” she sighed, taking his trembling hands in hers. “Ostinato is our power, and our power is Ostinato. I’m the ruling Princess of this Kingdom, if I leave the lay lines, the city will become vulnerable to destruction. I must stay here.”_

_Mezzo clenched his fists, burning away his tears with anger._

_“Don’t you care at all?!” he shouted, magic sparking off of him. “I’m on the front lines every day, trying to protect our world! You can’t even spare a moment to protect our last ally!”_

_Mezzo broke off angrily, and strode for the door. Schuberta called after him._

_“Where are you going?” Her voice rang off the stone, vibrating through their bones._

_“To DO SOMETHING!” he spat over his shoulder, then sprinted out of sight._

**\-----**

“My, my,” Maleficent smirked devilishly. The emerald stone at the top of her staff ceased it’s glowing, and Mezzo’s room lost its sickly green pallor as the magic faded away. “What a delicious Nightmare!”

Mezzo groaned in his sleep, tossing himself onto his side and pulling the sheets of his bed closer to his chest. Maleficent gazed down on him once more, resisting the powerful urge to laugh in satisfaction.

**\-----**

It was everything Riku could do to walk a straight line. One step too far in any direction, and suddenly he was Traverse Town. Now Halloween Town. No, it was Atlantica.

Riku clutched at his forehead with his off hand, Keyblade already summoned. The chaos of Sora’s dream seemed to be culminating into a swirling merry-go-round of places he had once been. Riku’s shoes skidded across the tile of Beast’s Castle, only to slip dangerously off the edge of a tree trunk, free falling through the trees of Deep Jungle. It was a dizzying experience, not at all like a connected dream should be.

“Oof!” Riku landed with a grunt, his knees aching at the sudden impact. “Fuck!” Riku rubbed at his knees, feeling both old and immature at the same time. When he looked up again, he gasped.

He was in Radiant Garden. Or rather… Hollow Bastion….

Unpleasant memories buried inside Riku’s own Heart stirred, and his head began to swim with those negative thoughts. It was like a ringing in his ears that he couldn’t shake away.

“Eeh Ooh Ooh Ah Ah.”

Adrenaline kicked in finally, and Riku regained his composure enough to whirl around on the new intruder.

Bell, one of the few known Princesses of Light, resplendent in her golden ball gown. She lifted a silky, gloved hand, gesturing toward Riku from the hallway. She stood at the threshold of Darkness, beckoning him to take her hand. Her red painted lips parted, and she spoke in her beautiful timbre.

“Eeh Ooh Ooh Ah Ah.”

Riku lifted an eyebrow, completely lost.

Bell nodded, smiling apologetically. She spoke again, her hazel eyes gleaming brightly. “No heart. No friends.”

Just as soon as she finished this, Bell doubled over in agony. Her skin blanched, then seemed to vanish from sight, leaving only the trembling gown as it tore and shook itself apart. Darkness spewed from the torn edges, the golden dress at last unable to contain it any longer. It shattered apart as a monster five times Bell’s size took form out of the shadows.

“Beast!” Riku shouted with realization, the monster taking the shape of a friend. “Your Majesty, please settle down!”

The creature’s body seized violently, dark claws protruding from its hands, its red, void-like eyes completely free of all emotion except one:

Rage.

“That’s not Beast,” Riku growled, lifting his Keyblade into a fighting stance. “That’s a Nightmare if I ever saw one!”

The Nightmare bellowed, and the force of it sent out a shockwave so strong that Hollow Bastion cracked and ruptured apart. The entire expanse was replaced with a vortex of known Worlds. The vertigo of it all threatened to upheave Riku’s stomach, but the Keyblade Master was well back into the swing of things now.

With a Nightmare to focus on, Riku’s thoughts were feeling much clearer.

“Hey there, big boy,” Riku spat jokingly through a sneer. “It’s just you and me here.” Riku licked his lips, feeling the lust for battle whet his appetite and hunger him. “So don’t hate me if I play with my food for a bit.”

Riku sprinted directly for the Nightmare, the monstrous creature screaming and flailing its arms wildly. Riku’s Keyblade deflected each erratic strike almost as if on auto-pilot. It was almost too easy. The monster was predictable, if not fast and strong.

“Which means…” Riku grunted, backflipping on his hand to a safe distance. He gathered his energy and lept in a single bound, landing on top of the Nightmare. With a shout of triumph, he plunged his weapon deep into the monster’s back.

The Nightmare shrieked in pain, throwing Riku from its back, the Keyblade still lodged inside it. Riku rolled into an upright position. “... You’ve got a lot of health.”

“Not to worry,” Riku said to himself, holding his dominant hand out in front of him. He could have called the Keyblade back to him, and it would have obeyed, teleporting into his hand. But, it was much more useful where it already was. Riku channeled magic into his Keyblade from this remote distance. “ _Thundaga!_ ”

The Keyblade erupted into sparks of incredible light, zapping the Nightmare both from without and within. The Beast-looking creature arched its back in agonized defeat, unable to reach the Keyblade, until its body made of the Darkness finally popped out of existence.

Riku then called the Keyblade back to him, and it grew into his hand from a shaft of light. “Enough of this,” he said, feeling full. He pointed his Keyblade at nothing in particular, and commanded it: “Take me to Sora!”

A beam of light shot out from the Keyblade’s tip, before halting mid-air, as if colliding with something. A door that looked similar to the one in the Secret Place on Destiny Island appeared out of nowhere, revealing that the beam of light had indeed struck it. With a creak, the door opened by itself, inviting Riku inside.

Once he stepped through, he was on the beach of that very island. Their childhood home, where Riku, Sora, and Kairi would play and grow together. Riku took in this sight, because unlike everywhere else in Sora’s dream, this place was pristine and perfect. It wasn’t tumultuous or sickening like the other places in the dream.

“Sora must be here,” Riku stated, feeling resolved. He cast his gaze around and quickly found his friend on the docks. Sora was standing with another young adult, almost like a clone of -

“No!” Riku whispered, the shock widening his eyes. He dropped low to the ground, hiding in the bushes as he got closer, listening as best he could.

“Besides, game’s over,” Vanitas was saying, folding his arms across his chest. His helmet was off, and he was an exact look-alike of Sora. The only difference being Vanitas had black hair and gold eyes, whereas Sora had brown hair and blue eyes.

“It’s not over,” Sora replied, puffing out his chest and pouting.

“Let me guess,” Vanitas sneered, gesticulating with his hands. “ _Wittle Ventus_ been giving you advice on friendship? Newsflash, Dumbo. It’s been 15 years since that kid fell asleep. When he wakes up, he’s going to be both older AND younger than you. So tell me this: Just what the fuck does that dweeb really know about friendship? Huh? _Huh_?!”

Sora didn’t answer. He didn’t like to speak for the others when they weren’t present, and Vanitas knew that already. But he also knew the question would sting regardless.

“Listen,” Vanitas started again, his demeanor visibly changing. “My Lesser Half. He said something once. That his friends were his power, and that I didn’t even have any. At the time, I thought he was just being a sore loser… Until he beat me. Got me thinking… what are friends if not… like-minded people?”

“I’ve got friends _now_ , Sora,” Vanitas crowed, putting his thumb to his sternum proudly. “You could be one of them some day.” Sora looked up at this, but his expression was proud and unmoving. “Besides, you’ve got the angry look down pat. And you’re handsome to boot.”

“Game’s over,” Sora sighed, turning his back on Vanitas.

“Late to the party, much?” Vanitas chuckled. He pointed down the dock at the advancing Riku. “He wasn’t.”

Riku wasn’t in a hurry. He maintained a vigilant pace, locking eyes with Vanitas all the way. Vanitas chortled to himself once more, then evaporated into nothingness.

“You’re dreams are really chaotic lately,” Riku observed, putting on an act of false concern. The truth was, the anger raging inside his Heart was burning a little too brightly for his comfort. “I mean, that Nightmare even looked like Vanitas. You know? Our enemy.”

“That wasn’t a Nightmare,” Sora answered curtly. He too was short on patience, bags having formed under his eyes even in his dream.

“Oh!” Riku gawked in feigned surprise. “Wow. So he can just like… come and go as he pleases?”

“Seems like most people can,” Sora hissed under his breath. Riku heard the remark, but didn’t breath more life into it. Instead, he huffed through his nostrils, placing his hands on his hips. “Vanitas has a connection to my Heart. When he calls to me, I hear him.”

“And just what have you two been talking about?” Riku asked, his every word harsh and acidic.

Sora glared at Riku, his jaw trembling as he clenched it as tightly as he could. “Friendship.”

“What was that?” Riku cupped a hand to his ear and leaned forward. “Did you say: BULLSHIT!”

Sora was breathing heavily now. His shoulders heaved up and down, his brown bangs falling in front of his face.

“Come on, Sora!” Riku yelled, well and truly furious. “I knew you weren’t the brightest member of our team, but I didn’t think you were stupid. Vanitas and Xehanort are working together, they’re trying to destroy the Worlds! They’re psychopaths!”

“How do you know that?” Sora shot back, nearly headbutting Riku’s nose. He stomped forward across the dock, and Riku stumbled backward, giving ground. “Have you ever talked to Vanitas? Did you even ever meet him before today? Or is everything you know about him just what Yen Sid and Mickey whisper in your ear?”

“You know that’s not how our hierarchy works!”

“I do, do I?” Sora rumbled up from his chest, shoulders quivering. “Well, why don’t we go back to my fucking written Knowledge Exam and see if that question got a nice, green check mark, or a big, _black X_!”

Sora’s words carried through the island, and Riku had to take a moment to remember how to breath.

“That’s what this is about?” Riku asked, incredulously, his face contorting into disgust.

“Fuck you, Riku.”

“You’re mad you didn’t pass the exam and Kairi did.”

“You haven’t listened to a -”

“Damn, you are a just a little fucking kid, aren’t you?”

“- word I’ve said and of COURSE I’m just a kid, what the fuck are you -”

“A Keyblade _Master_!”

“See! You don’t care -”

“Shut up, Sora!”

“- that the Exam was rigged, you wanted Kairi -”

“Shut UP, Sora!”

“- to be the next Keyblade Master just like Mickey and Yen Sid! Admit it!”

“YES! I did! And she’s a much better Master than you’d EVER be!”

Sora fell silent. Riku fell silent. Sora began, his voice calm:

“Well, I -”

“Because she doesn’t act like a damn _child_.”

“... Well, I thank you for your honesty. Please leave.”

“I’m not finished here.”

“Yes… you… ARE!” Sora’s shout cracked the sky open, unveiling endless Darkness behind it. Destiny Island began to shake, and sea boiled until it turned gray. Fresh, green leaves turned purple and brown, and planks of the dock began to rot away beneath Riku’s feet.

“Sora… calm down,” Riku requested, fear pounding his Heart. He looked around at the devastation and Darkness enshrouding them.

“And on top of everything else!” Sora admitted, his voice cracking. “I can’t decide which makes me more angry… The fact that you thought this was a good idea, or that you thought you wouldn’t get caught.”

“Sora… the Nightmares are coming.”

“I know.”

“You’re calling them!” Riku warned, holding his hand out to his friend. Sora didn’t reach back.

“... I _know_.”

Riku gawked at his friend, his entire body sagging in defeat. Sora glared back at him and bore his teeth.

“How else do you make a Dream Eater go away?”

Riku swallowed dryly and summoned his Keyblade in a arch of light. He imagined his and Sora’s dream being connected by a thread. Then all at once, he snipped through it with his Keyblade.

Riku was just able to see the thread snap apart right before he woke up in his sweat-drenched bed.

**\-----**

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	3. Chapter 3

[ **Chapter 3** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh7nK3ceoY4)

[ **Vanitas** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh7nK3ceoY4)

“I didn’t want to leave without telling anyone first.”

King Mickey closed his mouth and placed a gloved finger against his temple, humming his thoughts in his throat. “Gosh Sora, I dunno…”

“Me neither,” Sora admitted, holding out his hand, palm up, in a gesture of good faith. “But I thought… if there’s one person out there who’s always had my back, no matter what, it was you, Your Majesty.”

“Riku and Kairi are gonna ask questions,” Mickey pointed out. He leapt from his chair and strode across the Mysterious Tower room until he met the bookshelf. Standing on tippy-toe, the Keyblade Master swished his mousey tail for balance, and snatched a tome from off the shelf by its spine. He heaved the book up onto the desk, flipping its cover over with a thud.

“It’s a dangerous way to travel, but they won’t be able to follow you this way,” Mickey explained. The paper pages turned by themselves, landing finally onto a sigil, already glowing with silver magic.

“The book?” Sora asked, tilting his head and scrunching up his face.

“What’s hidden inside the book!” Mickey giggled, swiping his fingers from side to side with an incantation. The book burst into smoke, and when Sora finished coughing, he saw the shiny silver sigil was gone, replaced by a three-dimensional green rock he’d not seen before perched atop the crusty, yellow pages.

“This is a Star Shard,” Mickey stated, and the stone twinkled brightly in response to its name. “Almost like Gummi Blocks, they’re rare and powerful gems. This one belongs to Yen Sid, its twin belongs to me. But that one is currently the Engine of your Gummi Ship.”

Sora took up the Star Shard gently, breathing with an air of reverence. “Whoa,” he gasped as his fingers sparked against its warm, smooth side.

“Remember how that Ship runs?” Mickey asked, wildly flailing his hands with excitement.

Sora beamed, smiling his biggest smile; Mickey did the same, smiling brightly back at him.

“Exactly!” Mickey laughed. “It’s powered by happiness! The energy and positivity that a person gives out is actually a energy source for that Star Shard. But the one you’re holding is different.”

Sora looked down at the gem in his hands. It glowed when he grinned at it, but didn’t seem to charge up at all. Mickey continued, placing his own hands on top of Sora’s, concealing the Star Shard from view.

“This one runs on will power alone. Not happiness. Not anger or sadness. This Star Shard can take you anywhere... if you believe it can. Doubt yourself or your destination, even for a moment, and you’ll stray off the path!”

“Understood,” Sora said, his face dropping for a moment. “King Mickey… you really are trusting me with this?”

Mickey searched Sora’s eyes for only a heartbeat, but was satisfied with what he’d seen in them. “This is a rare and powerful item…” the King confirmed. “And it belongs to you now, Sora. Do with it what you will. I’m certain it will be more than enough to get you where you need to go.”

“Thank you,” Sora said, a genuine tear of relief streaking down his cheek. “I gotta do what my Heart is telling me to. I just can’t see any other way around it.”

Mickey nodded, his round-tipped nose twitched genially, not a hint of suspicion in his expression. With their hands still on the Star Shard, their Heart’s resolve caused it to shine and vibrate between them, humming a song of its own.

“Oh, um,” Mickey stammered, jumping back a pace. “Maybe not here inside the Tower? I wasn’t lying when I said that artifact was dangerous. Master Yen Sid would kill me if we made a mess in here, and then bring me back just to clean up the mess.”

It was dark humor for the King, but humor nonetheless. The two Keyblade wielders shared a deep laugh with each other, the Star Shard glowing brighter all the same. “Alright,” Sora said at last, “if I’m gonna do this, I’d better do it now before I chicken out.”

“May your Heart be your guiding Key!” King Mickey said in farewell.

Sora smiled. “You will talk to Riku and Kairi for me, right?”

Mickey returned the smile, but made no other move. “May their Hearts be their guiding Key.” Sora considered this for a moment longer, then nodded to the King, signaling that he understood. This was his fight alone, after all.

King Mickey was standing on the desk, looming over the ancient book that had concealed the Star Shard, when Riku and Kairi burst into the room. They clattered in with such voracity that the wooden door struck the wall, threatening to break off its hinges. “Mickey!” Riku exclaimed as they entered. “Sora’s done something reckless!”

“I know,” Mickey answered immediately, his voice grave with severity. “No use wasting time here. Sora has taken the Star Shard and fled the Tower.”

“We’ve gotta get to him before he leaves, Riku!” Kairi pleaded.

“Damn that idiot!” Riku swore, barely able to hold his composure. Kairi ran to the nearest window and gazed out to the grounds below. “Riku, there he is!” she shouted, pointing. Sora, in his new traveling clothes, was running from the door toward the train stop.

Riku didn’t waste any time. He sprinted at the window, breaking through it with his Keyblade. Wind rushed by him and gravity took hold and dragged him downward. Before the ground could meet him, Riku flipped head over heels, using magic to slow his decent and pad the landing. “Kairi!” he called, looking up from below just in time to see the new Keyblade Master follow in his footsteps.

With a single foot on the ledge of the window, Kairi vaulted forward, gaining distance on the still retreating Sora. It looked as if she was about to overtake him, when she was knocked from the sky with hard blow to her side. Riku cried out, just as shocked to see the dark Keyblade appear out of nowhere as Kairi had been to be struck by it. The red and black Keyblade - Void Gear - had been thrown in a Strike Raid maneuver, and the impact it made with Kairi knocked all of the air out of her lungs.

Kairi lay on her side, coughing, as Vanitas - his expression hidden by his black mask - advanced on her. Void Gear flew across the breeze in a perfect arch, where Vanitas caught it without even taking his sights off of Kairi.

“Hey there, kiddies,” Vanitas greeted, and you could hear the sneer on his voice. “Playing tag? Sounds like fun, don’t mind if I join in.”

“Outta my way!” Riku threatened, dashing straight for Vanitas.

Vanitas let out his breath in a harumph, raising his dark Keyblade in a defense stance. But Riku stopped just short of striking range, and hurdled himself over Vanitas’ head. Landing with barely any break in momentum, Riku sprinted on. Vanitas pivoted on his heels, locking on to Riku as he gained on Sora.

Sora kept his back to the struggle, lifting the Star Shard in his hand up as if offering it back to the stars. The green rock began to glow, until is aura enshrouded Sora completely.

Riku picked up the pace, just a few more meters away, Keyblade ready to strike the Shard out of Sora’s hand if that’s what it came to. “Whoops,” Vanitas whistled as he watched Riku evade him. “Nearly forgot you two are fully fledged Masters now.”

Kairi was already at Vanitas’ back. Her blue eyes gleamed with triumph as she readied her Keyblade. Vanitas was so off guard, that he barely had time to glance over his shoulder at Kairi before her weapon sliced through him. Vanitas let out pained grunt, freezing where he stood.

Riku’s Keyblade was just about to reach Sora, and pushed off in one final leap. Time slowed down as his warrior instincts kicked in, and he could taste victory’s sweet flavor already on his tongue.

Void Gear drifted into Riku’s periphery from above him. It slammed into his own Keyblade with bone jarring force, sparks of Light and Darkness spewing into his eyes. Riku squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his left arm to defend himself. Vanitas had used some sort of magic to teleport across the battlefield in an instant.

Kairi looked on in shock as the Vanitas in front of her evaporated like a hologram of Darkness. She had cut her Keyblade into a shell, a decoy, and the real Vanitas had appeared out of a pocket of Darkness above Riku’s head. Vanitas forced his stroke to finish its swing, and Riku lost his grip on his own Keyblade. It struck against the soft ground with an almost sad, dull clunk.

“ _Nearly_ ,” Vanitas quipped, chuckling under his breath. He kicked Riku’s Keyblade off the edge of the train station, then watched as Sora’s body vanished into a meteor and shot out into the night sky above them.

“Sora!” Kairi screamed out at the top of her lungs. Her outstretched hand strained to reach the receding Star Shard as it zipped away into the night sky. Vanitas laughed through his mask, his shoulders heaving with the effort of it. “He’s gone…” Kairi whispered, her eyes widening as she realized just what Sora was doing.

“Hahaha!” Vanitas laughed again, and Riku grimaced as he got back up to his feet, making sure to stand between Kairi and their enemy. “Hate to break it to you, kiddies, but Sora’s _been_ gone. Hahaha!”

“Where did he go?” Riku growled, summoning his Keyblade to him again, itching to end this.

“Probably to give that Star Shard to Master Xehanort,” Vanitas answered, throwing his arms to either side. “The old man really wants that thing for some reason.”

“Just where are they?” Kairi asked, even more forcefully than Riku, and Vanitas glared at her through his dark helmet.

He didn’t offer an answer. Vanitas hunched his back forward, menacingly; Riku and Kairi took two steps backward. Vanitas clicked his tongue in annoyance, but instead of advancing toward them, he started walking backwards. He was just about to fall off the edge of the train station’s cliff… when the ball of his right foot landed on an invisible platform. Vanitas continued to slowly retreat, suspended in the air somehow, walking on solid wind. The more he retreated, the fuzzier and blurrier his outline became, until Vanitas once again evaporated into nothingness.

“The King,” Kairi interjected, taking Riku by his bicep and racing with him back inside the Tower. “He’ll know what to do! C’mon!”

  **\-----**

Maleficent gazed out from her private chambers at the top of the highest tower in Ostinato’s citadel. It had once just been an attic, to store old furniture and suits of armor, artifacts too old to be placed in a damp cellar. Maleficent had removed each item, down to the last speck of dust, filling the room with her own personal touch of Darkness.

She had books and gargoyles, and an ornate silver perch for her raven, Diablo. And a sweeping balcony from which she could watch the entire city below her.

But tonight, Maleficent was gazing upwards. She traced a green meteor through the sky at it bounced this way and that, off to some unknown location or World. A portal of Darkness opened behind her, though Maleficent didn’t even bat an eye.

“I’m assuming all of this chaos is your doing,” she stated, without turning back to see who had entered her room uninvited.

Vanitas stepped out of the portal, the purple aura shining off of his masked face. But by the way he carried himself, Maleficent could tell that he was pleased with himself. “Guilty as charged,” the boy admitted, gleefully.

“I thought that boy Sora would know better than go straight into that man’s clutches,” Maleficent sighed in frustration.

“Now why does that ring a bell?” Vanitas asked coyly. “Oh yeah, isn’t that exactly what you did 15 years ago?” At this, Maleficent turned around to face Vanitas. Her eyebrows were furrowed in anger. “So desperate to get off your tiny, little world, you believed whatever Xehanort told you. Mindlessly collecting Princesses of Heart for him, all the while thinking it was _your idea_.”

Vanitas expected Maleficent to lash out at him. Though, after a heartbeat of no reply, Maleficent lifted her hand to her mouth and laughed daintily.

“Such a bold child,” Maleficent commented, mostly to herself. “That is exactly why I recruited you. Though, do you honestly believe you can betray  _him_?”

Vanitas shrugged. “I can always just betray you to him back, if push comes to shove.”

Maleficent laughed again, which Vanitas found even more frightening than if she had gotten angry. “I won’t argue with that logic. Just know, my boy,” Maleficent reached down and cupped Vanitas’ helmet with her long fingers, “that you won’t need to betray me. Because that old fool, Xehanort, has finally met his match.”

“Oh yeah?” Vanitas scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.

Maleficent smirked, tapping the end of her magic staff on the ground. It echoed across the stone, and was soon answered by the creak of an opening door. Vanitas fell silent, and let his body relax as another boy entered the room.

“Vanitas, may I introduce Prince Mezzo. He will be your travel companion and partner on this mission.” Mezzo’s bright pink eyes met Vanitas’ dark, expressionless helmet.

“And just what are we to be doing together?” Vanitas asked, his voice giving away his irritation.

“You’ve already said it yourself,” Mezzo answered, flipping his pink bangs from his eyes. “We’re going to collect Princesses of Heart.”

\-----

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment for my gal Maleficent, MVP of Kingdom Hearts


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I encourage fan art, if you're so inclined!
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr with dat shit!
> 
> http://beelzlikes.tumblr.com/

[Chapter 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJog7PfkNRY)

Birds were chirping in the sun dappled trees when the portal of Darkness opened. Crunching his boots against the lush, green grass, Vanitas stepped into the light and raised his arm to block its sudden rays from his view. He hissed inwardly at the sight of it, the light stinging him slightly. But it wasn’t a kind of pain he couldn’t endure.

Vanitas waited for a few moments more, the hole of Darkness in the air swirling stoically. He impatiently tapped his foot, and had the mind to simply close the doorway and piss off. “Come on, you fucking…”

Just as Vanitas started to gripe, a silhouette appeared in the portal. Mezzo strode out of it, resplendent in his royal outfit. His silver and gold chains of state clattered around him, and the wind billowed his ebony coat. He tossed his pink hair out of the way, and landed his bright pink eyes on Vanitas. “What were you going to call me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, daring his companion to finish his sentence.

“A fucking pussy,” Vanitas answered without hesitation. Mezzo nodded at this.

“Hmm,” he breathed, dispassionately, his expression blank. “I’m not even offended.”

Mezzo summoned his Keyblade, and in response Vanitas also closed the doorway that connected this world to Ostinato. Mezzo waved his Keyblade in the air like a magic wand, and a glowing sigil appeared on the ground. In a burst of a light, a silky cat-like creature with a thick, bushy tail and long pointed ears front flipped out of the sigil and landed daintily on its feet.

“A summon?” Vanitas asked, the disgust in his voice audible.

“Haven’t you ever seen a Carbuncle before?” Mezzo returned, feeling superior. “This one is an Obsidian Carbuncle, too. See how it sparkles? Her name is Forte.”

“I don’t give a fuck what it’s name is,” Vanitas spat. “She’s better not get in my way.”

Mezzo snorted at this, placing his hands on his hips and eyeing Vanitas up and down. “You’d better not get in her way. She’s an Obsidian Carbuncle, meaning she has the most health and defensive capabilities of any of the other forms of Carbuncle. Forte will draw the attention of the Heartless, soaking up hits while we finish them off for her. Got it?”

Vanitas growled in response, trudging off along the dirt path. “She’d better not get in my way…” he said again, as if in after thought. He stopped in his tracks and looked around at the unfamiliar world. “Where the hell are we, again?”

“Weren’t you listening to Maleficent?” Mezzo sniped, his frustration growing. “This place is called Sherwood Forest. There is a Princess of Light here named Maid Marian. We need to find her, protect her, and bring her back to Ostinato for safe keeping."

Several Heartless appeared from the shadows, crawling quickly like insects across the forest floor. Vanitas summoned his Keyblade, and Mezzo took his position behind his summon, Forte. “The Heartless have already infected this world,” Vanitas stated, investigating the battle field with his eyes hidden behind his dark mask.

“Of course,” Mezzo cried out, gripping the hilt of his Keyblade harder. “Maleficent would never send us to a World that wasn’t already doomed from the outset.” It was obvious that Mezzo’s patience with his new companion was running thin. Vanitas didn’t respond to Mezzo’s outburst, already swinging away to clear a path. “What an idiot,” he breathed under his breath.

“Forte, after ‘em!” Mezzo ordered, and the Carbuncle obliged without hesitation. It recklessly charged into the fray, plowing through Heartless, and bowling them over. Just as they’d trained, Forte skidded to a stop in the middle of a mob of the dark creatures, and straightened its tail up into the air. “ _Fire!_ ” Mezzo shot a ball of flame at his Carbuncle. Just before it made contact, Forte’s fur gleamed with a sheen of magic, twinkling.

The fire spell hit Forte, and bounced off it, splintering into several different orbs. Each once struck a different Heartless, and they vanished in a poof of smoke.

Vanitas jumped into the air and swung his Keyblade, arcing lightning in front of him, and several Heartless popped on contact with the magic. A Heartless rose out the ground like a shadow coming to life, springing for Vanitas’ back. As he turned around, Forte rammed herself directly into it, then posed victoriously as it evaporated.

“Hey, Vanitas!” Mezzo shouted, and the young adult almost didn’t respond to his name being called. He struck two more Heartless, making sure his immediate coast was clear before turning to face his companion. “Heads up, I’m gonna clear the rest of them out!”

“Huh?” Vanitas scoffed, lowering his guard. “Is that right?”

Forte backflipped, landing softly onto Mezzo’s shoulder. With his Keyblade outstretched, Mezzo invoked his strongest spell: “ _Tornado!_ ”

Gray-green wind picked up, quickly gathering speed into a swirling funnel. Sparks of lightning struck at all sides, and even the heaviest Heartless was swept up into its vortex. For a solid ten seconds, the twister raged across the battlefield until none of the creatures were left. Vanitas sauntered up to his partner as the spell fizzled out, taking in the scene at a sweeping glance; the forest was shredded, and all the grass had been torn away, leaving nothing but soil beneath their feet.

Mezzo was panting with the effort, and sweat formed on his brow. As the wind finally calmed itself, Mezzo straightened his back and put on an air of confidence. Vanitas merely laughed. “Am I supposed to be impressed?” he asked, caustically, holding out his hand palm up, resting his other on his hip. “So you’re a pretty hefty spellcaster. Big deal.”

“The forest!” cried a voice from the treetops. Leaves rustled and fell to the ground as someone leapt among the branches. With a graceful tumble, a red fox in a green shirt and hat padded onto the ground and eyed the two strangers. “What have you done to the forest?”

“We were attacked by monsters,” Mezzo explained, allowing Forte to jump up onto his shoulder again. “It might have been overkill, but we couldn’t risk those creatures getting to a populated area.”

“Hmm,” the fox thought to himself, placing a finger to his chin. “Those monsters have been pestering us lately. It’s gotten so bad that the false King John has withdrawn his entire standing army behind the castle walls. All of the citizens of Sherwood are not only abused for their labor, but now their self-proclaimed sovereign won’t even defend them anymore from these heinous attacks!”

“A King John?” Mezzo asked, giving a pointed sideways glance toward Vanitas. He couldn’t see his partner’s expression, but was confident that even if he had been able to he would have been disappointed with the results. “Does this King have an heir? A Princess or…?”

“No, he doesn’t,” the fox spat bitterly, and Mezzo shrank away from him. “He’s a usurper, not the rightful King of Sherwood. Our rightful sovereign has gone to war and disappeared in the ensuing chaos.”

Crestfallen, Mezzo absently stroked Forte’s neck, sifting his fingers through her soft fur. “No princess?” he mumbled under his breath.

“Hey,” Vanitas spoke up at last. “What’s your name, fox?”

“Why, I’m Robin Hood! Surely you’ve heard of me? The best marksman in the country!”

“I’m sorry, we’re…” Mezzo began, stumbling over his excuses. “Not from around here.”

Vanitas sighed an exasperated sigh and closed the distance between himself and Robin Hood. “Listen, we’re from another World -”

“Vanitas!” Mezzo cried out in shock.

“Another World?” Robin Hood exclaimed excitedly. “Like from across the great Ocean Expanse?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Vanitas grumbled, shaking his head. “There isn’t much time to explain. These monsters are called Heartless, and they’re searching for the Door into your World’s Heart.”

“Vanitas, we’re not supposed to meddle!”

Ignoring Mezzo, Vanitas shrugged away his concerns and continued: “They’re mindless, can’t be reasoned with, act only on instinct, and there are an infinite number of them. Once they appear in your World, that World is doomed to fall back into Darkness. Along with everyone living in it.”

Robin Hood gasped, taking up his bow in a defensive stance. “Oh no! Maid Marian!”

Mezzo perked up his ears at this. “Maid Marian? You know her?”

“She is the true Princess of Sherwood Forest,” Robin Hood explained. “She’s a beacon of hope, a light in the darkness.”

It was Vanitas’ turn to shoot a pointed glance at Mezzo, and even through his helmet, Mezzo could feel his companion’s cold glare of satisfaction. “You know where she is?” Vanitas asked, almost cordially.

“In the castle, of course!” Robin Hood answered. In a single bound, he was in the trees again, looking off into the distance. “That blasted usurper has never done anything right, except for keeping Maid Marian safe.”

“He can’t,” Vanitas interjected, and Robin Hood looked down at him from the canopy. “No one can protect her now. It doesn’t matter how many soldiers are in that castle. It doesn’t matter how much you think you love and adore her. It won’t protect her from the Darkness.”

Robin Hood lowered his head, shaking it sorrowfully. “Is there nothing I can do?” he whimpered, a tear streaking down his cheek.

Vanitas once again looked at Mezzo. When his partner just stared back, Vanitas slapped him across the arm with his off hand. Mezzo took his cue from that. “The King can’t keep her safe,” he reiterated. “You can’t keep her safe. Once this World dies, it’s all over. However. WE can protect Maid Marian.”

Robin Hood straightened up at this, then vaulted back down to the forest floor, landing directly in front of Mezzo. He took Mezzo’s hands in his and pleaded with his eyes. “Oh would you?” he asked. “Would you, please?”

“We need to get into that castle first,” Mezzo stated, his expression growing hard. “Can you help us do that?”

“Oh yes!”

“Good,” Mezzo finished. “Once we find her, Vanitas and I can take her somewhere safe, somewhere the Heartless can’t reach her. And then, one day, if your World does happen to fall into Darkness, we can use her Light to lift you out of it.”

“You had me from the beginning,” Robin Hood exclaimed. He also took Vanitas’ hand, clapping the three of them together in solidarity. “You watch my back, and I’ll watch yours. Let’s go rescue a Princess!”

 

\-----

Darkness whirled as a portal opened. Saix stepped through, his expression uncommonly restful. He took a moment to look around at the high, stone chairs each member of Organization 13 sat in. They were all empty. “Looks like I’m the first to arrive again,” Saix breathed, dispassionately.

“Wouldn’t count on it,” echoed an answering reply. Saix turned on his heels, inspecting a throne he’d already glanced over. Only this time, there was someone there. Xigbar, his hood pulled back and his long peppered hair in a ponytail. He glared past his eyepatch, grinning maddeningly. He was standing horizontal to the ground, the soles of his boots on the throne’s back, defying gravity.

“Xigbar,” Saix greeted, monotone. “I need to stop you there. For not even your antics can ruin today, so you might as well not even try.”

“Just end up making a fool of myself, eh?” Xigbar quipped, his arms crossed over his chest, his ponytail waving over his ear.

“As per usual,” Saix replied, then jumped into his own assigned seat. He did not sit yet, still being on guard.

“So what’s the old man got in store for us today?” Xigbar asked. “He’s as giddy as a kid in a candy shop.”

Though Saix was well aware that Xigbar definitely had been briefed, he was in no mood to start a war of words with Xigbar. Despite his flippant tongue, Xigbar had too many tricks up his sleeve… and Saix didn’t want to push his luck. Not on today of all days.

“The others will be here soon,” Saix explained, and Xigbar deflated a little. His happy-go-lucky smirk melted into an eyeroll as he realized Saix wasn’t going to play along. “We finally have out thirteenth member, another wielder of the Keyblade.”

“You know,” Xigbar interjected, stepping away from his horizontal position into a vertical one, so that he could match glares with Saix. “Never mind, I’ve just decided I don’t care after all.” He waved his hands in the air, as if shooing away the conversation.

“And he’s brought a gift.”

Xigbar fell silent at this.

“He has, has he?” Xigbar asked, drawing out the syllables as his mind raced. “Looks like today’s my birthday. What’d he bring me?”

“Master Yen Sid’s Star Shard,” Xemnas answered for Saix. He too had appeared during the conversation. In fact, it seemed now that all twelve members of Organization 13 were present.

Xigbar chuckled at the suddenly full house.

“Look, I realize we’re all technically the same guy, but we gotta stop meeting like this. People are gonna talk!”

“Your jokes fall on deaf ears, ingrate,” Xehanort’s Heartless shot back. He glowered darkly, daring Xigbar to speak up again. Instead, Xigbar again waved his hands in front of his face, silently dismissing the challenge.

“Silence, all of you.”

The room fell silent, and everyone cocked their heads upwards to the tallest throne in the circle. Master Xehanort rested his head against his fist, one foot crossed over his knee. His golden eyes gleamed with power, his wrinkled face curling into a sickening smile.

“Something interesting has happened,” Master Xehanort continued when he was satisfied that all eyes were on him. “Something I had not planned on happening without the use of force. Yen Sid’s Star Shard is finally in my grasp.”

He held out his other hand, the emerald gemstone shimmering in his palm. It trembled as he stared into it, his smile tracing from ear to pointed ear.

“And now,” Master Xehanort chuckled, “I don’t need Master Aqua to find you. Ventus, my sweet boy.”

 

\-----

 

“You’re not going to tell us where he went?”

King Mickey looked downtrodden as Riku scolded him. “I don’t know where he went. And even if I did, it’s not for me to decide. Sora has to follow his Heart.”

Riku growled, but didn’t lash out further. “You can’t keep this a secret from us, Mickey!” he shouted, his fear manifesting itself as anger.

Mickey’s mousey nose twitched, and glared into Riku’s eyes. Riku stepped backwards out of instinct, sensing his friend’s patience running thin.

“I’ve kept secrets from Sora for you, Riku,” Mickey pointed out, emphasizing his sentence by jabbing his gloved finger at Riku’s chest. “Or don’t you remember that?”

Riku’s shoulders sagged as his anger bled away. He sighed, dejectedly.

“You’re right,” he admitted, and he felt tears threatening to burst from behind his eyes. “I can’t ask you to betray someone else’s trust… I’m sorry.”

“Besides, it’s not like we’re just gonna sit around doing nothing!” Mickey swished his tail, beckoning for Kairi to come closer. “You’re gonna look for him and bring him back to us.”

Kairi nodded, placing her hand over her Heart.

“And you’re not going alone.” Kairi looked up at Riku, and they shared a smile. “Take Lea with you.”

Kairi blinked, then returned her widened eyes to the King. “I’m sorry, your Majesty, but… what did you say?”

“Riku can’t go with you,” Mickey stated, nonchalant. “He’s coming with me into the Realm of Darkness. To help me find Aqua.”

“But I…” Riku started. He paused and thought this new plan over in his head. If he had to be honest, Mickey was right again. They needed to find Sora and Aqua, and they had limited numbers. “Lea needs training still,” Mickey continued. “He won’t stand a chance against the Organization when the time comes. Kairi, I need you to watch after him and help him improve his skills.”

“But I…” Kairi started. She also paused in thought, but her expression betrayed her disgust.

“If we don’t stick together, we’ll be easy pickin’s,” Mickey said, sadly. “Kairi, I know you and Lea have had a difficult past. But he’s really trying his best. You see that don’t you?”

“I do, only… he looks at me strangely. Like… I remind him of someone he knows. And he did kidnap me before!”

That was back before Lea was a whole person; his Nobody - Axel - did some pretty terrible and selfish things. Much like Sora was doing now. What would happen if another Keyblade Wielder of Light ran off into the tempting Darkness? Kairi nodded her head after a heartbeat. She’d take Lea with her, but only to keep a better eye on him.

“Alright, I’ll do it,” she stated with resolve. “Lea and I will find Sora and be back before you know it.”

“Let’s see who accomplishes their mission first,” Riku suggested, a small grin cracking his stoic expression. “If we find Aqua, we’ll come join you in searching for Sora; and vice versa. Got it?” Kairi smiled, nodding her head.

Riku turned away, staring out the Mysterious Tower’s large windows. He mumbled one last sentence under his breath before Kairi left into the stairwell:

“If our Hearts are connected… we’ll find them.”

\-----

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